Two controversial Anglo-Australian mining giants who abandoned operations at Bougainville copper mine and the Ok Tedi mine in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea due to the Bougainville crisis and environmental damages are still keen on mineral exploration and mining operations in the country. BHP Billiton (Australia) and Rio Tinto (Australia) have purchased geochemistry and geophysics datasets of PNG’s Central highlands mineral contents that show that PNG has some of the highest rated gold, copper and nickel deposits compared to the rest of the world.
See http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20100707/news18.htm.